caitlin e shogren

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Book Review: She Means Business

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I started reading She Means Business around my birthday. Living dangerously, I bought a few books for my birthday back in October, and She Means Business made the cut and into my cart.

I initially was excited to start this book. I’d heard a few recommendations to read She Means Business and wanted to know what the fuss was about the book. Overall, She Means Business didn’t disappoint. 

One of the best things about She Means Business is that Carrie Green provides you a worksheet online to complete while reading through the book. I’d highly recommend doing it while reading. This way, you have a good indicator of what you need to get done and where you need to devote some time.

While I found many case studies that supported Carrie’s premise as a successful entrepreneur, I was also a bit let down. I’m not saying that this book isn’t worth a read, but a few things made me question the success you can achieve from it.

I was pulled out the most by Carrie’s use of visualization. 

I think visualization can be a powerful tool when employed the right way to achieve your goals. It can be a great motivator to reach what you want.

That said, when Carrie visualizes herself winning an award, I don’t see how that is on the same wavelength. Some things are dependent more on others than yourself or your hard work. In my opinion, you can visualize certain things happening. Still, your dreams have to be goal-worthy and attainable for them to work.

As I mentioned, some of Carrie’s visualizations are great. They can be attainable. 

I also tended to gloss over sections. I felt like some of the areas within Carrie’s book were more about her transformation than about how you can become an entrepreneur. She does this more towards the end of the book, so it’s not a complete autobiography about her success, but it does drag on.

The sections you might notice tend to start with her journal entries. It’s not a terrible viewpoint; it just makes an easy divide in the book.

In the first half of the book, Carrie does a great job of using other business owners and her case studies. It somewhat tracks throughout the book, so you only have to guess who she’s referring towards, but mentioned sporadically at best. 

I like having real-world examples to compare my troubles towards, so I know I’m either on the right or wrong track. I only notice a few examples in the first half based on other people. In contrast, the second half is about starting the Female Entrepreneur Association.

I can understand Carrie wants to impress and relate to her readers with the accomplishment of getting her business off the ground. It’s a fantastic feat to accomplish. That said, I’d like to hear about others within her group who have made it rather than solely hearing about her own.

I did appreciate hearing about how she broadened her business rather than scaling it. Most companies have made businesses larger and acquire more people to manage; however, I’m glad Carrie found new ways to appeal to her audience. 

There are a few things that drew me out of She Means Business, but I feel like the book is still very useful for female entrepreneurs and business owners.

If you’re looking for some help growing your business and love to read I would suggest looking into She Means Business.

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